Japan how people live in villages. “Everything is possible, if there was a car”
The Japanese village of Nagoro is dying. Of course, it has never been a noisy metropolis, but not so long ago there was a factory there and workers lived with their families. They made a living among the stunningly beautiful nature. But the factory closed, and the settlement began to empty.
Ayano Tsukimi returned to Nagoro after living in Osaka for a while. When she arrived, the village was already in a sad state. According to the woman, she had nothing to do, so she decided to create a garden. When this venture failed, she made her first scarecrow, reminiscent of her late father.
He was the first of many, many dolls.
To date, she has made over 350 scarecrows. All of them symbolize one of the inhabitants, who died or left. She dresses them up, sews them into suitable facial expressions, and then places them in places that had a special meaning for these people.
Some are relaxing on park benches, and some are sitting in trees, holding guns with which they once hunted. Others fish by the river with rods. Couples sit hand in hand near the houses where they once raised their children.
The buildings of the city are now also inhabited by dolls. The school, closed many years ago, was once filled with students and teachers. Today, at the teacher's table, at the blackboard, covered with lesson materials and assignments, sits a scarecrow.
The dolls are seated at their desks: inanimate children hold pencils, look at open books and do their homework. Someone is standing in the corridor, waiting for class, and the director is watching his wards.
Tsukimi soon noticed that her dolls began to attract interest from the public. People came and took pictures of them - sitting in the fields, tending to plants that no longer grew, or watching the fish swim in the river.
Three years after Tsukimi started making these little people, she made one for herself. She says that she is not afraid to die, and knows that if something happens to her, it is unlikely that she will be taken to the nearest hospital in time. But she still cares about her creations.
Dolls in Nagoro are the result of a whole decade of work. Tsukimi says he will continue to make them despite mixed reactions from visitors. But at the same time, the woman is visited by the thought that someday she will be left alone, surrounded only by scarecrows. Unblinking little men, made in memory of the people who once walked the streets.
Japanese national house
Somehow I was in Ethnographic Museum under open sky near Riga, there in picturesque place Latvian traditional houses, an old mill, barns and other buildings are located on the shore of Lake Juglas. It is very interesting and informative to see, but in a similar ethnographic village I have never been to Russia, I don’t even know if there is one. If there is, then for the sake of completeness, two types of traditional Russian houses should be represented there. The fact is that Russians, as an ethnic group, have developed from two nationalities - North Russian and South Russian, they differ ethnographically, linguistically, genetically - they have a different dialect, folk costume, etc., Russian epics, for example, are the fruit of the memory of the North Russians, and the Russian bath is an invention northern Rus'. Even the dwellings are different, in the southern Russian regions - the estate type, and in the north houses and outbuildings were built under the same roof. The Japanese traditional house bears little resemblance to the Russian one, assembled from logs, in Japan they built frame-type houses, the walls were not load-bearing, but the wooden columns and beams, which were connected without the use of nails, formed the skeleton of the house, they were the load-bearing elements of such a house. But in terms of the type of layout, the Japanese dwelling can be compared with the North Russian one - here, too, the residential part of the house and outbuildings were erected under one roof. I want to talk about the traditional Japanese house.
In the country rising sun the national house was the home of farmers, artisans and merchants, that is, all major castes, excluding samurai, built it in several traditional styles based on geographical and climatic conditions as well as lifestyle local residents. Most of these houses usually fall into one of two main categories - farmhouses and country houses, there are also subclasses of styles, such as houses in fishing villages. Such folk houses have survived to this day, now they are considered historical landmarks. There are open-air museums in Japan, such as Nihon Minka-en in Kawasaki. Houses built in the gassho-zukuri style have been preserved in two villages in central japan Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture.
Two villages, Shirakawa and Gokayama, gems Japanese archipelago, in terms of significance for the Japanese, these houses can be compared with Kizhi for Russians. By the way, not everyone knows how a village differs from a village in Russia; for reference, there has always been a church in the village. So, these Japanese historical villages of Shirakawa and Gokayama are located in a remote mountainous area of the island of Honshu, which is winter time was cut off from the rest of Japan for long periods of time. A special school of architecture has developed here - gassho-zukuri. Traditional dwellings in the area are characterized by steep thatched roofs. The main occupation of the locals was silkworm breeding, so the upper floors of the dwellings are skillfully adapted for the needs of silkworms. Gassho-zukuri, probably the most recognizable style, houses featured high, gabled roofs. Such houses are well suited for heavy snowfall and downpour, the steep gabled roof allowed rain and snow to fall directly from it, preventing water from entering through the roof into the house, and to a lesser extent preventing the straw from getting too wet and starting to rot. Villages inscribed on the List world heritage UNESCO as an outstanding example of a traditional way of life, perfectly adapted to environment and local social and economic conditions. To illustrate the post, photographs with images of houses from the village of Shirakawa were used.
In building these traditional houses, the Japanese used cheap and readily available materials, as farmers could not afford to import expensive materials. Such houses are made entirely of wood, bamboo, clay and various kinds grass and straw. The skeletal structure of the house, roof, walls and supports are made of wood. The outer walls were often completed with bamboo and clay, the inner walls were not installed, and consisted of sliding doors, wooden bars and/or paper screens. Grass and straw were used to cover the roofs and for tatami floors. Sometimes clay tiles were used in addition to thatch. Stone was used to strengthen or create the foundation of a house, that is, a type of foundation, but it was not used for the house itself. The house turned out to be a frame house, the walls were not load-bearing, they left holes for windows or doors, that is, shoji paper screens were used, as well as heavier wooden doors.
Next for description Japanese house I used material from several LJ user posts Come in, you will be a guest! , a wonderful blog, who has an account in LiveJournal - I recommend adding it as a friend. So, the method of building such houses is as follows. Such houses do not have a solid strip foundation. At the site of the future home, the soil surface is leveled and compacted tightly. Then stones of a suitable size with a flat and even top surface are driven into the compacted surface. They are driven in in those places where the supporting pillars of the house should be located. Approximately every meter and a half along the entire perimeter and along future walls. Each vertical pillar rests on a stone, like a foundation, although not solid. This design protects the supporting pillars of the house from direct contact with the soil and saves the tree from being constantly damp and rotting.
A frame of supporting pillars and upper beams is installed on the foundation stones, the contour of the future house is obtained. The main frame of the house is erected without the use of nails and other iron fasteners. Logs are interconnected by a complex system of grooves and wooden rivets-clamps. The roof frame is put on top of this frame. It is worn sequentially - with triangular arches attached to each symmetrical pair of supporting pillars along the entire length of the house. Then the roof arches are connected by transverse beams. The beams and log-bearing structures are fastened together with ropes of rice straw and tows of young tree shoots. All fasteners are either made of ropes or in a thrust, in grooves. The finished frame on the sides of the roof is first covered with long mats made of reed or a variety of sasa bamboo, these mats form the inner surface of the roof. On top of these mats, bundles of reeds are tightly bound in layers. Reed bundles are stacked in even rows and attached to the roof with ropes of rice straw. With these ropes, the mats are, as it were, stitched like threads, fastening the bundles to the beams of the frame.
The roof of such houses in cross section is an equilateral triangle, its size strongly depends on the size of the house itself. The larger the house, the higher the roof. Accordingly, the space formed under the roof can be divided into floors. If the house is small, then two floors, in big house- three floors. Any possible gaps between the walls of the house and the roof are laid with bundles of the same reed. After installing the roof, the house is sheathed with boards from the outside and equipped from the inside. The ends of the roof are also sheathed with boards, in which ventilation windows are then cut through.
Usually the house has two galleries along its entire length. The front (facade) faces the street, and the back - to the mountains or gardens. The ends of the house are usually deaf or with small windows. In modern houses, additional rooms are often attached to the ends under ordinary modern roofs. But there are also sliding doors - direct access to the technical premises of the house from the street, not from the inside. Galleries are usually open or curtained from the sun and immodest glances with mats. The galleries were closed at night, in winter or during a storm with wooden panels in the manner of sliding doors. These panels are stored in a closet at the end of the gallery in their free time from home protection. In modern houses, galleries are most often closed, especially with back side Houses. Glazed or simply half closed in the manner of a veranda.
From one of the edges of the house, rarely in the middle, there is an entrance to the house, you can, of course, enter from any point in the open gallery, but this is impolite if you do not live in this house. The interior of the house is divided into several rooms. Their number and size depends on overall size Houses. Usually interior layout the house is laid already at the level of driving in the foundation stones, since these stones determine the position of the structural nodes and corners of the house, both external and internal. All life in the house takes place mainly on the ground floor. The second floor is for work and storage, it is used as a workshop for small-scale peasant craft. The third floor, even if it exists, is usually not used, except that all sorts of herbs useful in the household are dried and stored here. The third floor is only a flat lattice. This is a type of technical floor needed to monitor the condition of the roof. The volume of the room under the roof primarily works as a thermostat, keeping the temperature inside the house approximately constant. In summer it is very hot outside, but inside the house it is quite cool and comfortable, not only air conditioning is needed, but even a fan.
Depending on the size of the house and the wealth of the family, the house may have several closets or lounges. But general scheme location is about the same. The central room of the house is a hearth, on the one hand - storage and utility rooms, on the other - front, clean rooms for relaxation. Sometimes the genkan hallway is actually combined with the kitchen. At the entrance there is a couple of utility rooms where all sorts of large items that are usually used outside the house are stored. The floors in such utility rooms are densely packed earth or slatted flooring. floor level in living rooms raised above the ground by about 20 cm. One of the main interior spaces houses on the ground floor - a common room with a hearth. Depending on the size of the house and the number of inhabitants, the hearth may have one or two hearths at different ends of the room. The hearths here are everywhere of the same design - a square hole in the floor, filled with sand and ash from already burned firewood. It has one or two cast-iron coasters for the boiler and kettle. Either mats lie around the hearth, or the room itself is covered with tatami. The hearth room was usually used as a dining and living room for the whole family, but almost never as a bedroom.
There is no ceiling in the dining room as such - a grating that opens a direct exit of smoke through the roof. Above each hearth, on ropes attached to the ceiling beams, hang large wooden shields, not much in size. more area hearth. Their task is to prevent hot smoke from going straight up, so that the ceiling does not catch fire, and hot air more or less evenly disperses throughout the volume of the house. On top of the shield, you can put something that needs drying - a raincoat or hat. Or whatever items you need. There are no chimneys, the smoke rises from the hearth and, having passed through the entire volume of the house, exits right through the thatched roof. At the same time, everything inside the house and the roof itself are thoroughly smoked and dried from the inside. In these houses, insects and mice do not live in the roofs. And the roof hardly rots even in the rainy season or under the snow. The ceilings in such houses are not solid, but lattice, so that the smoke rises freely. Solid flooring on the floor on the second floor is only along the walls. If the house is large, then in those places where there is no hearth, the flooring is also solid.
On both sides of the central room of the house with a hearth are rooms smaller size. Some of them are used as utility rooms, the rest are used as rooms for rest and receiving guests, the floors here are covered with tatami, in one of the rooms of the house there is a tokonoma with beautiful scrolls, bunches of flowers and trinkets. Here they received guests and slept. One of the rooms is used as a dressing room, things necessary for life in the house are stored here, and bedding was cleaned here during the day - futons, pillows, blankets. The dressing room stores all sorts of household items that it is desirable to have at hand every day.
At the end of the gallery-veranda there is a bathroom with a wooden ofuro bath. A detached outbuilding on the outside has a toilet-type toilet, the secondary product falls down into a special bucket, and then is taken out to the fields as fertilizer. On the one hand - the main residential building of the estate, on the other - a small outbuilding. they are connected by a covered walkway. They could keep small calves in the outbuilding, there is no floor in the calf, just trampled earth covered with straw. And the buckets are suspended, on which the calf was lowered with food and taken away the waste products (dung, in common parlance).
June 4th, 2014
I could sit in one place all month in Japan and remain just as pleased. But I decided: if you are going to travel, then you need to plan everything so that the trip is the most diverse. Therefore, Takayama ended up on my route: firstly, these are mountains, and secondly, these are Gassno's houses. From Takayama, you could go to a few more places, such as the famous village of Shirakawago and the world's largest cable car, but bus routes turned out to be refreshingly expensive. Of course, I was aware of Japanese train prices, they are scary, but there are ways to save money, but there are no ways to save money on buses. A round-trip ticket for the route, which lasts only an hour, costs 5,000 yen. for the sake of cable car, or rather, for the sake of the view that opens from it, I would have paid so much plus about so much for tickets to the road itself, but it was closed for the annual technical inspection for exactly the 5 days that I was in Takayama, literally the same day.
Therefore, I had to be content with walking around Takayama itself and the local village of Gassno, or rather the museum, which was made based on its motives, collecting all the old houses on one territory. The name "gassno" comes from the word for hands folded in prayer. Those. in Nepalese, you can say that this is the village of Namaste =) The reasons for choosing this form are not religious, it’s just that in this region of Japan there is a lot of snow in winter.
All of these houses were built during the Edo period, meaning they could be between 400 and 150 years old. Wow! Something, of course, was restored, but it's still hard to believe that a simple tree could stand for so long.
Spring, icicles on the roof.
Each house belonged to a family, and so it is called by name. You can wander inside and visit different rooms.
It's mostly very dark in there, and my camera doesn't have a flash, so there's only one photo.
You can wander among the trees and feel in ancient japan. I additionally catch flashbacks of Indonesia and Batak houses on Lake Toba. All these mountains I have traveled South-East Asia and collected in my mind a collection of what I like best in each country. And then she came to Japan and found all this here. Even my favorite houses improved for winter! There is also a lake, but it is small.
The pure truth about a lot of snow. Outside mid-April, and still how much!
Thatched roofs.
And again icicles on the roofs.
How beautiful it is here!
The structure of the Japanese village is completely preserved. There is a temple at the very top, and old statues of Buddhas in aprons.
And other religious buildings.
There are vegetable gardens.
Wood shed.
Mill.
And a cast-iron kettle ripens on the coals.
If not for the lack of people, museum expositions and signs on every corner, one could really imagine that he was in the distant past.
You can take a picture in clothes near the cart, and for free, but it’s probably no longer possible to wander around the village in a suit.
Puppet Museum. These dolls were exhibited at the entrance to houses in which there were children-girls, so that they would grow well and be healthy. The doll was supposed to be not one, but a whole set. Dolls for this museum were donated by local residents.
Sudden retro hi-tech. Something souvenir for tourists.
Today I will completely overwhelm you with beauty, because. right after the village, I climbed to the top of the mountain. Up the neat steps.
Okay, I won't exaggerate. And along the road, littered with snow, I had to make my way, and along the forest path.
But in the most dangerous and difficult places there were steps and railings anyway. This is Japanese concern for others and love for details.
Beautiful. And there is a bench to admire this beauty.
Something like this.
Or without extra objects in the frame.
I could still walk along various small tracks to get to a few more temples, but the snow blockages on the road and the total emptiness caused certain doubts in me. Yes, and my sneakers are already wet, despite all the Japanese concern for the neighbor.
I would love to come back here with good shoes, a bike and plenty of time to wander around and ride a lot. The mountains in Japan are no worse than the Himalayas.
The Japanese believe that everyone has their own ikigai. This is one of the main concepts of their philosophy of health and longevity, which can be deciphered as "a sense of one's own destiny." In December, Alpina Publisher publishes the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secrets of a Long and Happy Life. Researcher Hector Garcia (Kirai) and writer Francesc Miralles studied this phenomenon and visited the village of centenarians Ohimi on the island of Okinawa, whose youngest resident is 83 years old. "Theories and Practices" publishes a fragment about their trip.
To get to Ohimi, we had to fly three hours from Tokyo to Naha, the capital of Okinawa. A few months earlier, we had contacted the administration of the "centennial village" and explained that we wanted to interview the elders in the community. After long negotiations, we managed, with the help of two officials, to rent a house near Ohimi.
A year after the start of the project, we were ready to lift the veil of secrecy and meet the oldest people in the world. We immediately realized that in Ohimi, time stood still, as if everyone was living in an endless present.
Arriving in Ohimi
We pulled away from Naha and two hours later we finally got out of the traffic jams. By right hand- the sea and deserted beaches, on the left - mountains, overgrown yanbaru(as the forests in Okinawa are called).
Passing the city of Nago, where Orion beer, the pride of Okinawa, is made, we drove along Route 58 along the sea to the municipality of Ohimi. On both sides of the road, houses and small shops were visible, sandwiched between the highway and the mountain - apparently, there was no center as such in the village.
The GPS navigator led us to our destination, the Ohimi Health Center, which turned out to be an ugly concrete building at the exit of the highway.
We enter through the back door, where Tyra is already waiting for us. Next to him is a small smiling woman who introduces herself as Yuki. Two women are sitting nearby and working at a computer, they immediately get up and escort us to the conference room. They bring us green tea and give us a couple of shikuwas fruits.
Taira is dressed in a business suit, he is the head of the health department in Ohimi. Tyra sits across from us, opens her diary and file cabinet. Yuki sits next to him.
The Taira archive lists all the villagers, names arranged in order of seniority within each "club". The Taira tells us that each Ohimi resident belongs to a certain "club", or moai, in which all members help each other. These groups have no specific purpose, they are somewhat like families.
Tyra also reports that in Ohimi, many of the activities are supported by volunteer work, not money. All residents are ready to contribute, and the village authorities distribute tasks. Thus, everyone feels belonging to the community and feels useful to it.
Ohimi is the penultimate village on the northern tip of Okinawa. From the top of one of the mountains you can see it in its entirety - it is very green, all in the yanbaru forests. We ask ourselves where people live here: the population of Ohimi is 3200 people. Only lonely houses are visible from the mountain - near the sea or in the valleys.
Community life
We are invited to dine at one of the few Ohimi restaurants, but when we arrive, all three tables are already booked.
“It's okay, then let's go to a restaurant next door, there's always room,” Yukiko says, walking back to the car.
She is 88, she still drives and is proud of it. Her neighbor is 99 and he also decided to spend the day with us.
We race after them on a dirt road. Finally we leave the forest, here is a restaurant where we can finally eat.
I don't usually eat at restaurants,” Yukiko says as she sits down. - I eat what grows in my garden. And I buy fish from Tanaka, we have been friends all our lives.
The restaurant is located right next to the sea and resembles the planet Tatooine from " star wars". On the menu capital letters it is written that they serve "natural food" made from organic vegetables grown in Ohimi.
“Well, food is not the main thing,” Yukiko continues. She seems open and outgoing, and enjoys serving as the head of several organizations in Ohimi.
“Food does not prolong life; the secret is to smile and have a good time,” she says, bringing a tiny sweet from the menu of the day to her mouth.
There are no bars at all in Ohimi, and there are only a few restaurants, but this does not prevent the islanders from being active. social life- it revolves around community centers. The village is divided into 17 neighboring communities, each of which has its own president and officials responsible for different aspects of life - culture, holidays, social events and longevity - he is given special attention here.
We are invited to the club of one of the 17 communities. This is an old building that nestles against the slope of one of the mountains covered with yanbaru jungle, in which the bunagaya, the patrons of Ohimi, live.
Bunagaya - yanbaru spirits
Bunagaya are magical creatures that, according to legend, live in the yanbaru forests - in Ohimi and neighboring villages. They are portrayed as children with long red hair. Bunagaya like to hide in the crowns of trees and go fishing down to the sea.
There are many stories about these forest spirits in Okinawa. wonderful stories. They are big jokers, like to fool around and are generally extremely unpredictable.
The Ohimi people say that the bunagaya love mountains, rivers, sea, trees, earth, wind, water, and animals, so if you want to befriend them, you need to show respect for nature.
Birthday
We enter the community center, we are met by about twenty people. They say with pride: "The youngest of us is 83 years old!"
We sit at a large table, drink green tea and talk with centenarians. After the interview, we are escorted to the assembly hall, and together we celebrate the birthday of three members of the community - one woman turns 99, another - 94, and the youngest birthday man - 89 years old.
We sing songs that are loved in Ohimi and end with Happy birthday in English. The 99-year-old birthday girl blows out the candles and thanks the guests. We try homemade cake with shikuwas, dance - in general, the birthday is the same as 22-year-olds.
This is our first holiday in a week in Ohimi. Soon we will sing karaoke with older people who are better than us, and visit the traditional festival with local musicians, dancers and street food.
Enjoy every day together
Holidays and entertainment are the most important component of life in Ohimi.
We were invited to play gateball - this is one of the favorite games of Okinawan centenarians. Gateball resembles cricket - you also need to hit the ball with a bat. Gateball can be played anywhere and is a great excuse to have some fun and get moving. Ohimi hosts gateball competitions, and there are no age restrictions for participants.
We also took part in the match and lost to a woman who had just turned 104 years old. Everyone had a lot of fun looking at each other after the game.
In addition to holidays and entertainment, religion plays an important role in the life of the village.
Gods of Okinawa
The ancient religion of the Okinawan monarchs is called Ryukushinto, which means "Way of the Gods". It combines elements of Chinese Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Shintoism, as well as shamanism and animism.
According to the belief of the ancestors, the world is inhabited by an infinite number of different spirits - the spirits of the house, forest, trees, mountains ... It is very important to please these spirits by performing rituals, arranging holidays, and also honoring holy places. In Okinawa, many forests are considered sacred. There are two main types of temples - utaki and uganzu. For example, near the waterfall we go to uganza - a small open-air temple, there are incense and coins. Utaki is a stone building where people come to pray; there, according to beliefs, spirits gather.
The Okinawa religion says (and in this it differs from Shintoism) that a woman is spiritually superior to a man. Because of this, it is women in Okinawa who are invested with spiritual authority. Yuta are female mediums chosen by the village to communicate with the spirits.
Also an important place in this religion (and in Japanese culture generally) reserved for the veneration of ancestors - in Okinawa, in the house of the eldest in the family, there is usually a small altar where sacrifices are made to the ancestors and pray for them.
Mabui
Mabui is the essence of every person, his soul and source of vital energy. Mabui is an immortal substance that makes each of us unique. Sometimes the mabui of a dead person takes up residence in someone alive - and then a special ritual is needed to free her. It is usually held if someone, especially a young person, dies suddenly and the mabui does not want to go to world of the dead. And mabui can be transferred to another person. For example, if a grandmother leaves her granddaughter a ring as an inheritance, she thereby passes on part of her mabui to her. It can also be transmitted by photographs.
The older the stronger
Now, some time later, I see that our days in Ohimi were full of events, but at the same time passed in an atmosphere of relaxation. This is how people live in this village: on the one hand, they are always busy with important things, on the other, they do everything calmly. Always follow your ikigai, but don't rush anywhere.
On the last day, we went for souvenirs to the market at the entrance to Ohimi. They sell only vegetables grown in the village, green tea and shikuwas juice, as well as bottles of "longevity water". It is bottled from a spring hidden in the heart of the yanbaru jungle.
We bought ourselves “longevity waters” and drank it right in the parking lot near the market, admiring the sea and hoping that these bottles contain a magical elixir that will give us health and longevity and help us find our ikigai. Finally, we took a picture at the bunagaya statue and once again read the declaration of centenarians.
Declaration of the village of centenarians
At 80 I'm still a child.
When you come for me at 90, forget about me and wait until I'm 100.
The older, the stronger.
Don't let our kids babysit us.
If you want to live long and be healthy - welcome to our village, here you will receive the blessing of nature, and together we will comprehend the secrets of longevity.
Federation of Longevity Clubs of Ohimi Village
In a week we conducted 100 interviews - we asked the old people about their philosophy, ikigai, about the secrets of a long and active life. We filmed the interview with two cameras to make a short documentary.
For this chapter, we have selected conversation fragments that we found to be the most important and inspiring. All characters are 100 or more years old.
Do not be nervous
“The secret to a long life is not to be nervous. At the same time, you need to maintain susceptibility, not to let your heart grow old. If you smile and open your heart, your grandchildren and everyone else will want to see you more often.”
“The best way to fight sadness is to go outside and greet people. I do this every day. I go out into the street and say: "Good afternoon", "All the best." And then I go home and take care of my garden. I visit my friends in the evening.
“Here, no one quarrels with anyone. We try not to create unnecessary problems. Being together and having a good time, that's all."
Develop the right habits
“Every morning I get up at six with pleasure, move the curtain and admire my garden - I grow vegetables there. Then I go out into the garden and look at tomatoes, tangerines ... I like to look at them very much, I relax like that. I spend an hour in the garden and then I go to cook breakfast.”
"I grow my own vegetables and cook them myself - that's my ikigai."
“How not to become stupid over the years? The secret is in the hands. From hands to head and vice versa. If you work hard, you will live to be 100 years old.”
“I get up at four every day. I set an alarm for this time to drink coffee and do exercises. It energizes me for the rest of the day."
“I eat everything - I think that's the secret. I like a variety of food."
"Work. If you don't work, your body breaks down."
“After waking up, I go to the family altar to light incense. We must remember our ancestors. It's the first thing I do every morning."
“I get up every day at the same time, early, and spend the morning in my garden. Once a week my friends and I meet to dance.”
“I do exercises every day and walk in the morning.”
“I do taiso exercises every morning.”
"Eat vegetables and live long."
“For a long life you need to do three things: exercise, eat right and communicate with people.”
Maintain friendship every day
“Meeting friends is my main ikigai. We get together and talk, this is very important. I always remember the next time we meet, I love these meetings more than anything in my life.
"My main hobby is talking to neighbors and friends."
"Every day talking to those you love is the main secret of a long life."
« “ Good morning! See you!" - I say to the children who go to school, and to those who are driving, I shout "Drive carefully!". From 8:00 to 8:15 pm I stand outside and greet everyone. And then I go home."
“Drinking tea and chatting with neighbors is the best thing in the world. And sing along."
“I get up every morning at five, leave the house and go down to the sea. Then I go to visit a friend and we drink tea. That's the secret to a long life - dating other people."
Live without haste
“I tell myself all the time: “Calm down”, “Slow down”. Without haste, you live longer. This is my secret to longevity."
“I make wicker baskets every day, this is my ikigai. I wake up and first of all I pray, then I have breakfast and do exercises. At seven I start working. By five I get tired and go to meet my friends.”
“Do a lot of things every day. Find activities all the time, but do not do them all at once, one after another.
“The secret to a long life is to go to bed early, get up early and walk a lot. Live in peace and enjoy. Get along with friends. Spring, summer, autumn, winter… Enjoy every season.”
be an optimist
“Every day I tell myself: “Today will be a day full of vigor and joy.”
“I am 98 years old, but I still consider myself young. I still have a lot to do."
“Laughing is the main thing. Whatever I do, I laugh."
“I will live to be a hundred. I would certainly live! This thought really motivates me.”
"Singing and dancing along with my grandchildren is the best thing in my life."
“My closest friends are already in heaven. Ohimi is no more fishing boats because there are almost no fish. Previously, it was possible to buy fish - both large and small. And now there are no boats, and there are no people either. They are all in heaven."
“I am happy that I was born here. I thank the gods every day for this.”
"The main thing in Ohimi and in life is to smile."
“I do volunteer work at Ohimi to get back what I was given. For example, I take my friends to the hospital in my car.”
“There are no secrets. You just have to live."
Life in the countryside = quiet, measured, but at the same time rich life in an old house with a small garden... Perhaps this is how life outside the city is shown to us on TV and in magazines, but what is it really like? It seems that there can be a lot of problems: these are relations with neighbors; and a rural way of life to which one must adapt; shopping difficulties; lack of a hospital, etc.
That's why this time - interviews with ordinary residents of Japanese villages. A life that won't be told on TV. Perhaps this will disappoint romantics attracted by country life, but, be that as it may, it is better to know not only beautiful side such a life, but also all the difficulties that may lie in wait for you.
All people were asked the same question:« And what is for you real life in the village? »
“Getting into this life is much easier than it seems”
The Izutsu family, Kohei (36) and his wife Yuko (27)
When we lived in Bizen City (Okayama Prefecture), I worked as an office worker, and although the town is small, life still could not be called rural. Only after moving to Mimasaka, Ueyama district, we plunged into it with our heads. Ueyama is known for its terrace farming (棚田, tanada), there are more than 8 thousand such beds, so when we, all residents, take care of the common rice crops together, relations become even warmer and closer.
There is also a tradition of “communication with a sage”, when, as a worship to the monk Kukai (or Kobodaishi, the founder of the Buddhist Shingon school), people get together once a month, communicate and treat each other with tea - and thus we have already visited the houses of all our friends.
When we were just able to join this close-knit team, we thought that we managed it quite easily. As the saying goes, "When you're in a village, act like a villager" (郷に入れば郷に従え, go:-ni ieba go:-ni shitagae). Even surprises are no excuse to deviate from this principle.
All over the world it is believed that the village is something hidden from the outside world, but in reality it is not so at all. How to say .. It's already a different time, or something. Personally, I think that wherever you go, you will be accepted everywhere.
“This is not a world where you live thanks to one job only”
Yamamoto Atsushi (28 years old)
I imagined that it would be difficult for me with life in the village, but, on the contrary, either I can survive anything, or things, in principle, are done here quite easily.
Well, I have a lot of everything anyway (haha). Since my job is to make various things, I have an abundance of places to work. Material for work, too - the one that was bought in the city at Tokyu Hands, here - in bulk and for free (ha ha).
In addition, here I felt that the district administration was next to us. The mayor of the city or a member of the local government, the person in charge of the budget - everyone lives the same life as we do.
And thanks to the fact that we are close to nature, the opportunity to eat seasonal products is really great. It's nice to feel that nature itself helps, allows you to live.
But, on the other hand, there are also negative sides. It is difficult to live when there is no extra time at all: this is not a world where you can live thanks only to your work.
Communication with neighbors, meetings of the whole area, etc. - this is what should firmly settle in your head; around the house there is also a lot to do - cut trees, collect fallen leaves. Of course, it's hard to call it suffering, but I think that without the realization that these things will also have to be done, people who come from the city will find it difficult here.
“I didn’t even expect that we would be accepted so easily”
Yamamoto Yuka, 28 years old
Actually, I'm much busier here than I expected (haha). Since I find work for myself, it turns out that, in comparison with ordinary employees of companies, I work all the time without noticing it. Since my childhood was spent in the village, I thought that the village life is as relaxed and simple as it was back then.. but I was wrong. But, you know what's amazing? There is no stress at all.
As for the residents - the feeling that they accepted us very easily. Thought that local people more closed.
“Everything is possible, if there was a car”
Takenaka Imabuki (26 years old), son of Taro (6 years old), daughter of Iroha (3 years old)
It's not as uncomfortable as I thought. I expected that everything would be much more difficult, but now I understand that everything will be fine, if there was a car.
But what unsettled me the most was the cold. It's much colder than I imagined. I, as a person who does not tolerate the cold, have a hard time. I would even say very (haha).
“There are no alternatives in the village”
Suzuki family, Kouhei (27), his wife Nanako (27), sons Hinata (6), Hajime (11 months)
Kouhei: Still, there are both positive and negative sides. Positive - this is the right place to raise children. Hinata's eldest son in Tokyo was so weak that he could not even touch an ant, but when they arrived here, he runs through the fields and mountains - in general, he became much stronger, healthier.
In addition, a garden in the yard is a definite plus. Something, yes it will be possible to eat - just plant (ha ha).
Negative sides ... Perhaps there are few opportunities, any alternatives. Or they don't exist at all. Especially in areas such as hospitals, educational institutions, shops. Ill - you are here, kindergarten- this one, for shopping - there, and the like. Here in the city you could go to those places that correspond to your lifestyle, or something. And also: whatever you want to do, you have to go to everything, and spending half an hour on the road is a common thing. And for me personally, the most difficult thing is that there is no bookstore.
Nanako: Well, for me .. perhaps everything is as usual here, which is somewhat unexpected (ha ha). There is nothing that is fundamentally different from the time when we lived in the city. Probably because my job hasn't changed.
“Moving is not a fairy tale, but a reality”
Inoue Naomi (34), son is a middle school student, daughter is a junior high school student
Wherever you live, it will be difficult everywhere, right? For example, they say to a child at school: “Bring such and such a workbook tomorrow,” and you have to drive 30 minutes by car one way to buy only one notebook. Okay, if you can pick her up on the way to another place, but so ..
But here is nature - yes, it's great. People also inspire me a lot, and, perhaps, this is the most important thing here.
“Although there is no time to relax, motivation is at its maximum!”
Fujii Hiroya (24 years old)
Like on the battlefield (ha ha) It is very difficult, because during the day there are not enough workers (in the gardens, in the repair of old houses, for the development of the welfare of the area, etc.). There are very few young people in the village, and there is a certain sense of responsibility that I have a lot to bear on my own shoulders; sometimes there are disagreements with the locals, and at such moments you just need to move forward without thinking about what awaits you.
I had some expectations of life in the country, but apart from the fact that the food is really tasty, as expected, there is no other consolation. There is almost no way to relax.
But this is because we live quite far from densely populated areas. We are driven by the realization that we live by creating the future ourselves. It is very nice to feel that you can do something useful for society.
“In the city, in the countryside, the only one you have to fight is with yourself”
Souden Satoshi (24 years old)
Still, in the village tasty food. And in the case of Kajinami (Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture) - although this is a village, there are a lot of interesting people which gives a lot of incentives to action.
What I realized when I moved here is that even with a change of scenery, you still have to fight with yourself. In the city, all the problems seemed like some kind of huge walls, or something. After all, wherever you are and whatever you do, any problem turns to yourself - are you ready to change?
Instead of a conclusion
Agree, it is much more interesting to read about what they think real people. It immediately becomes clear that we are all different, and the difficulties we face are also different. However, in any case, you can find a lot positive sides. The people whose words we quoted above are real romantics who quit stable jobs in major cities and changed the comfortable, but routine life to the village, more soulful, the one that they had always dreamed of. Do the job you want; eat vegetables and fruits grown by one's own hands; go to visit neighbors and host them; do your own house the way you want; enjoy beautiful nature every free minute - perhaps such a life can only be envied.
